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Genetics and Breeding of Forage
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Genetics and Breeding of Forage

A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 September 2025 | Viewed by 622

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Maofeng Chai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Grassland Science, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China
Interests: forage breeding; molecular biology; seed dormancy; abiotic stress; leaf senescence
Dr. Zhenyi Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010000, China
Interests: alfalfa; forage molecular breeding; functional biology; salt resistance; phosphate deficiency response

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forage is crucial for animal feed and is a fundamental component of grasslands worldwide. As human populations grow and the global environment changes, there is a need for a greater variety of forage to ensure sufficient protein for animals and to rejuvenate depleted pastures. Unlike crops, forage can be characterized by its various species, multiple reproductive types, perennial forms, strong wild characteristics, strong autumn dormancy, and difficulties in seed harvesting. Understanding the genetic characteristics of forage traits is beneficial for unlocking the excellent potential of the germplasm resource pool, thereby creating desirable varieties. Improving important agronomic traits, such as yield and quality, abiotic stress tolerance, nutrient utilization, and seed yield, can be achieved through traditional or biotechnology methods.

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the "Genetics and Breeding of Forage". It focuses on understanding the genetic background of forage, its ability to adapt to adverse environmental conditions, genome-related research, changes in forage, and genetic functional analysis from multiple perspectives, such as plant physiology, genetics, functional genomics, and phenotype and germplasm development. This information will help enhance forage production, stress management, seed quality, and more.

Prof. Dr. Maofeng Chai
Dr. Zhenyi Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • forage genetic improvement
  • molecular breeding
  • abiotic stress
  • biotic stress
  • population genetics
  • multi-omics analysis
  • nutrition absorption

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 5285 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Salt Tolerance and Transcriptomics in Two Varieties of Agropyron desertorum at Different Developmental Stages
by Yuchen Li, Xintian Huang, Xiao Han, Hui Yang and Yan Zhao
Genes 2025, 16(4), 367; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes16040367 - 22 Mar 2025
Viewed by 313
Abstract
Background: Most of the grasslands in China are experiencing varying degrees of degradation, desertification, and salinization (collectively referred to as the “three degradations”), posing a serious threat to the country’s ecological security. Agropyron desertorum, known for its wide distribution, strong adaptability, and [...] Read more.
Background: Most of the grasslands in China are experiencing varying degrees of degradation, desertification, and salinization (collectively referred to as the “three degradations”), posing a serious threat to the country’s ecological security. Agropyron desertorum, known for its wide distribution, strong adaptability, and resistance, is an excellent grass species for the ecological restoration of grasslands affected by the “three degradations”. This study focused on two currently popular varieties of A. desertorum, exploring their salt tolerance mechanisms and identifying candidate genes for salt and alkali tolerance. Methods: Transcriptome sequencing was performed on two varieties of A. desertorum during the seed germination and seedling stages under varying degrees of saline–alkali stress. At the seed stage, we measured the germination rate, relative germination rate, germination index, and salt injury rate under different NaCl concentrations. During the seedling stage, physiological indicators, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), malondialdehyde (MDA), proline (PRO), soluble protein (SP), and catalase (CAT), were analyzed after exposure to 30, 60, 120, and 180 mM NaCl for 12 days. Analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at 6 and 24 h post-treatment with 120 mM NaCl revealed significant differences in the salt stress responses between the two cultivars. Results: Our study indicates that during the seed stage, A. desertorum (Schult.) exhibits a higher relative germination potential, relative germination rate, and relative germination index, along with a lower relative salt injury rate compared to A. desertorum cv. Nordan. Compared with A. desertorum cv. Nordan, A. desertorum (Schult.) has higher salt tolerance, which is related to its stronger antioxidant activity and different antioxidant-related pathways. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were used to identify the key biological processes and pathways involved in salt tolerance, including plant hormone signal transduction, antioxidant defense, and cell membrane stability. Conclusions: A. desertorum (Schult.) exhibits stronger salt tolerance than A. desertorum cv. Nordan. Salt stress at a concentration of 30–60 mM promotes the germination of the seeds of both Agropyron cultivars. The two Agropyron plants mainly overcome the damage caused by salt stress through the AsA-GSH pathway. This study provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms of salt tolerance in Agropyron species and lays the groundwork for future breeding programs aimed at improving salt tolerance in desert grasses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Breeding of Forage)
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